January 22 - 26

 I can create narratives that develop setting, plot, and character; I can use suspense, figurative language, and dialogue in story writing; I can enhance personal style and voice through careful selection of words; I can edit writing for spelling, punctuation, and grammar.  Grade 6 ELAL

We are authors in grade 6! We began story writing by choosing one of two picture prompts to inspire ideas. Students had time to chat with one another to share story ideas before doing their own story planning. 

We used a "planning diamond" to get down all our ideas and to make sure we included all the parts of a good story. 

When we read and listen to stories in grade six (short stories, novels, oral storytelling, drama), we spend time looking at all the elements the author/story teller includes that help make it interesting. As we practice our own story writing, we reminded students about this and have encouraged them to keep it in mind when writing their own story. 

We have also been learning about 8 different figures of speech. We are encouraging students to try to include one of these somewhere in their story. 

We have printed the first draft of the stories and we are ready for peer editing this week. When students edit their classmates' work, they have the opportunity to see from another perspective: vocabulary, punctuation, spelling, ideas, and organization! Not only can they support their peers by picking up on any mistakes, but it helps them in their own writing as well. 

January 15-19

 I can describe how the structure of the Ancient Athens Government provided opportunities for citizens to participate in decision making

I can describe how identity, status, and class structure impacted citizenship in Ancient Athens

Grade 6 Social Studies

In grade six, we have been learning about some important places in Ancient Athens, including the Bouleuterion, Pnyx Hill, and the Agora. We have also learned about what political events took place in each location. Students have spent time reading and listening about citizens, citizens' wives, metics, metics' wives, and slaves and have learned that most of the people living in Ancient Athens actually were not allowed to participate in government decision making. 

This week, students have been working on creating a series of TikTok videos from the perspective of the different people in Ancient Athens. They worked in groups to write scripts, checked to make sure their work meets the criteria, then moved on to filming with the iPads at school. Everyone was super engaged in this work and we are all very excited to watch the videos together.

Tasks like this give students the opportunity to practice many important learning skills, including collaborating in a group, following instructions, meeting all the criteria, and managing time.

 

January 8 - 12

I can translate and reflect 2-D shapes within the four quadrants on the Cartesian Plane (Grade 6 Math)

When you perform a translation on a coordinate grid, you move a shape left or right or up or down or a combination of the two.

The rectangle on this coordinate grid was translated 3 to the right and 5 down.

Using the geoboards to practice translations

We practiced a bit in quadrant 1

When you perform a reflection on a coordinate grid, the shape is flipped across a line of reflection to form a mirror image.

We are learning that precision is super important!

Next week we will practice reflections over an angled line as well as rotations.

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I can demonstrate how movement patterns are applied across various physical activities and I can adapt movement patterns to improve accuracy, speed, and proficiency in a variety of dynamic physical activities (Grade 6 Wellness)

                                          

"I've never been this sweaty after PE!"

December 18 - 22

 I can describe the location of a point on a Cartesian plane using coordinates.

In Grade 6, we learned that a coordinate grid is a set of horizontal and vertical lines that allows you to describe positions on it. The horizontal axis is a number line called the x-axis, and the vertical axis is a number line called the y-axis. The axes meet at the origin, which is the point (0, 0).

To name a point on the grid, you describe how far to move horizontally from the origin to the first coordinate and how far to move vertically to the second coordinate.

We practiced our skills on the first quadrant of the cartesian plane in an artistic way! Students  designed their initials in block letters on the cartesian plane. Next, they identified the ordered pairs (coordinates) of all the vertices in their letters.

Sometimes you want to move left or down from the origin on a grid. To be able to do this, the number lines on both axes are extended to include negative values.

The four sections of the grid are called Quadrant 1, Quadrant 2, Quadrant 3, and Quadrant 4. “Quad” means 4.

When students were introduced to the other three quadrants, they practiced identifying and plotting ordered pairs by playing Four Quadrant Cartesian Plan Battleship. They also completed a mystery picture activity! 

December 11 - 15

 I can value citizen's participation in a democratic society

I can explain the rights and responsibilities of citizens living in a representative democracy

I can understand the electoral process of the provincial government and the responsibilities of the elected representatives

(Grade 6 Social Studies)

Grade six students learned about how provincial candidates campaign to earn votes from citizens. We read campaign promises from three different political parties from the North Pole. Each party has a leader and candidates running in different ridings. 

The students spent some time comparing the party platforms and engaging in discussion about what party would be best for each of them, if they were residents of the North Pole. Through this process, students learned to value different perspectives and understand that different political parties have many pros and cons for each individual. 

In groups, we created campaign posters intended to win votes; next week is election day! We will go to the different ridings, share the campaign promises, and cast ballots. We are looking forward to seeing how many seats each party wins!

I can intentionally use colours, tones, and subtlety in artwork

I can practice brush skills and use multiple media in compositions

(Grade 6 Art)

In Grade 6, we experimented with water colour paint to create some beautiful, festive art. We learned a tricky method for making circular shapes on water colour paper and using brushes to drag the colour toward the centre of the shape. Students chose colours and used a technique to darken one side of each shape to give it dimension. These original pieces of art will be on display for you to see this week at the concert.